Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, who has years of professional experience as a cardiology nurse practitioner, said Thursday any decision on legalizing medical marijuana should be determined by the federal Food and Drug Administration, not state lawmakers.

"If this is a legitimate medication, it really means the FDA needs to weigh in on this issue. That is what we do with other medications. I think that makes sense," Upmeyer told reporters at the Iowa Capitol.

Upmeyer, a Clear Lake Republican with a master's degree in nursing, was joined by House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, who made it clear he believes the medical marijuana issue is dead in the House.

"I don't expect us to debate a bill on medical cannabis this year," said Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican.

LANSING – Michigan would legalize the use of marijuana for recreational use under the proposed wording of a ballot initiative submitted to the state.

Once authorized by the Board of State Canvassers, the Michigan Cannabis Coalition's initiated law would require roughly 252,000 valid voter signatures before going to the Republican-led Legislature. If lawmakers rejected the bill or took no action, it would receive a statewide vote in November 2016.

The initiative announced Thursday is being supported by six to eight anonymous people from the agricultural, real estate, insurance and education sectors. Spokesman Matt Marsden says Michigan could add jobs and tax revenue by legalizing and regulating recreational marijuana.

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – The latest hearing on the subject suggests supporters of legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania have their work cut out in the State House.

Indications are that support for medical marijuana is strong in the state Senate, but members of the House seem less enthusiastic.

After a lengthy hearing Wednesday during which members of law enforcement stressed the need for strict regulatory control if it is legalized, Republican Matt Baker – chairman of the House Health Committee – said he’s still not sold on medical marijuana:

When Carbondale’s GreenHill Laboratoriesopened this week, it became the only facility on the Western Slope offering microbial testing on cannabis.

The lab is one of just three certified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for potentially dangerous mold such as Aspergillus and bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella, which are commonly regulated in commercial consumables.

After a year of build out, documentation and review, GreenHill received its certification on March 24 and had its first customer Tuesday. Validation for potency and homogeneity testing is pending.

A federal banking official took the unprecedented step Thursday of meeting with marijuana business owners, as the pot business awaits word on setting up its own bank.

Kansas City Federal Reserve President Esther George held a closed-door meeting with about 20 representatives of the marijuana industry.

The meeting was arranged by two Colorado congressmen who have tried unsuccessfully to pass laws expanding banking access for the marijuana industry, Democratic Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Jared Polis.

The Texas Young Republicans, a group affiliated with the state GOP, are publicly backing legislative efforts to decriminalize marijuana possession.

More than three-fourths of the group’s membership support decriminalizing possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and removing fines that can be levied, according to a survey the group conducted.

The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee discussed proposals late Wednesday night that would reduce the penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana, and one bill that would legalize it altogether.

Punitive punishment for marijuana offenses on school grounds leads to a higher chance of future marijuana use, according to the American Journal of Public Health. (Getty Images)

With marijuana legal for recreational use, one pressing question is how to enforce school anti-marijuana policies. The fear of kids possibly losing themselves in a marijuana fog is a legitimate fear for parents. That much is obvious. But how do we deal with that fear?

Is it better to rule by Thor’s hammer or to encourage an open dialogue?

The US government may be starting to officially recognize medicinal benefits of marijuana, as a government-funded research group has released a report claiming that weed can kill cancer cells.

Internationally, drug policy is at a crossroads: the debate is shifting from a paradigm based on criminalising drug users, to a more public-health-oriented approach. But is this only a change in rhetoric, or a sign of real political reform? We asked activists who have been attending the CND for several years. 

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president in 2012, tells The Daily Caller he is gearing up to run for the White House again.

“Unless something catastrophic happens in my life, I hope to do that,” Johnson said in an interview at The Daily Caller’s newsroom in Washington on Wednesday.

Johnson — the former governor of New Mexico who ran for president as a Republican in 2011 before dropping out to run on the Libertarian Party ticket — said “there’s no real rush” to announce though he is actively preparing for a campaign.